Unbreakable Vow
by Lyla Calm
Summary: Mystery and intrigue follow Albus Severus Potter on his first day at Hogwarts. Muggles appear on the Hogwarts grounds, Albus has strange dreams...and it all points to a troubled young boy who claims to be the son of Vincent Crabbe.
1. Vladimir

Albus leaned out the window of the Hogwarts Express and waved to his parents. The train began to move and picked up speed; Albus noticed that his father's hand was still raised even as they rounded the corner.

He sat back on the seat he had found. There was no one else in the compartment; he hoped it would stay that way. However, after only a mile or two into the countryside, the compartment door slid open and three people entered: A girl with jet black hair, accompanied by Albus's cousin Rose, and another girl with light brown hair.

"Hi," Rose greeted him. "This is Victoria Finnigan and Meredith Thomas."

Albus nodded to the girls, then turned back to the window.

"Mind if we sit here?"

Albus shook his head. Despite his father's words to him on the platform, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. Victoria Finnigan began a discussion with Meredith, while Rose decided to take out her wand and create designs in midair.

"So do you know what house you'll be in?" Rose asked him.

Albus shrugged. "I hope Gryffindor, but I suppose Slytherin wouldn't be that bad."

"Wouldn't be that bad?" said a drawling voice. They had not heard the compartment door slide open over the girls' talking. Scorpius Malfoy entered the compartment, followed by a tall boy with a solemn expression. "Wouldn't be that bad, he says."

Rose's eyes narrowed. "I suppose you're hoping to be in Slytherin?"

Scorpius laughed. "I'm heading for Ravenclaw. Slytherin? It's a house of freaks!"

"But your parents were in Slytherin!" Rose protested. "I would have thought you would like Slytherin!"

"I'm different," said Scorpius in a tone that clearly implied that differences were to be exalted. When no one said anything, Scorpius's eyes caught Victoria's, and the tiniest flicker of a smile played on his lips. Then he was gone with a swish of his robes.

Rose watched him until he was out of sight down the corridor, then grinned at Victoria. "He likes you."

"Who was that kid with him?" asked Victoria in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

"Jefferson Goyle. I hear his mum was a Squib and she never told his dad, and then he got really mad."

"I think I'll just go," Albus announced. He felt as though he were reading a girl's diary. He got up and left the compartment.

As he made his way down the corridor, he checked for an empty compartment. At the end of the corridor were his twin cousins, Xenobia and Fredericka. They were selecting treats off the trolley cart.

"Do you have any Crumple-Horned Snorkack Sundaes?" asked one of the girls.

The trolley lady shook her head, so the girls settled for two Cauldron Cakes each. Albus followed them into their compartment and sat down.

"Hello Albus," said the taller of the two girls. Xenobia had white blond hair, which was pulled back into a high ponytail, and frog-shaped glasses. Her twin wore her bright red hair in a similar style, complete with carrots for earrings.

"I didn't see your dad on the platform," Albus told them.

"Oh yes, well, he's been very busy at the joke shop recently. Orders have been coming in like mad!" Xenobia replied.

Fredericka pulled a bag out of her trunk. It read Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. "Dad gave me a few things from the shop before we left this morning."

_This is more like it, _Albus thought to himself. Fredericka revealed a small box of Puking Pastilles, followed by Fever Fudge and Ton-Tongue Toffee.

"Dad said to use them on Scorpius if he bothered us," Xenobia announced , flashing a devilish smile.

_It's amazing how they can be so much like their mother, and yet so much like their father, _Albus thought.

Fredericka extracted yet another item from her trunk; this time it was a book: Dirigible Plums, Plimpies, and Quibbling Whizbees by Luna Weasley.

"Mum's having a book signing this afternoon," Xenobia explained.

Albus smiled to himself and leaned back against the seat. He remembered the last time he had visited his aunt and uncle. His aunt had strung Crumple-Horned Snorkack horns from the ceiling in celebration of their visit, and his uncle had placed a Dungbomb under his grandmother's chair, sending her flying out of the dining room gasping for breath.

It would definitely be an interesting year at Hogwarts, especially with his twin cousins.

As they continued into the countryside, Xenobia removed her glasses and asked, "So have you heard anything about out professors?"

Fredericka smiled serenely. "Rose told me about Professor Sharddy Fitzz."

"What does he teach?" asked Albus.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Fredericka replied. "Mum says one of his hobbies is catching Freshwater Plimpies! I must remember to ask him for some tips..." She got up and went out into the corridor.

The sky darkened as more hills filled the landscape. Xenobia left the compartment after her sister, allowing Albus to change into his school robes. Finally, the train slowed to a halt, and for once Albus actually wanted to find James, to ask him what to do once they were off the train.

I'm supposed to be brave. Gryffindors are brave, thought Albus wildly as he joined the thronging crowd moving towards the doors.

"Firs' years! Firs' years! All righ' there, Albus? Rose?"

Albus grinned up at Hagrid. " Yes."

"Firs' class tomorrow, got a real treat fer yeh!"

Albus followed his cousins up the walkway towards the boats that would lead them straight to the castle.

James and Rose joined some other second years who were climbing into one of the horseless carriages. _I wish I could see those things, _Albus thought to himself.

"No, you don't," said a boy to Albus's right.

Had Albus voiced this opinion aloud? "Can you see them?"

"Yes," the boy answered.

Albus blinked. "I'm Albus Potter."

"Warburton Finch-Fletchley." The boys shook hands.

"So...who did you see die?" asked Albus.

"My sister."

Realizing that this revelation was obviously causing the boy pain, Albus didn't ask any more questions. But the boy continued. "Her name was Amalia. She was a brilliant witch, although she was only thirteen years old.

"One evening of summer vacation, she went out into the garden to pick some lilies. You know, to put on the kitchen table. It was one of her favorite things to do. Well, anyway, a Death Eater--"

"Death Eater?" asked Albus fearfully. "I thought they were all in Azkaban!"

Warburton gave him a dark look. "There are a few still out there, going after families that had close ties to Harry Potter.

"Amalia had nothing to do with him. I mean, You-Know-Who was before her time! But the Death Eater killed her. My father ran out and sent a curse at him that killed him, but the damage was done. Amalia was dead."

"Albus? Warburton? Come on, yer laggin' behind!" bellowed Hagrid from a boat. The boys climbed into the closest boat, and they all began to move.

When the boats stopped at the edge of a hill leading up to the castle, everyone clambered out. The school loomed overhead, scary and threatening to anyone who had never been there.

They stepped into the entrance hall just beyond the great oak front doors. No one was there, but the Great Hall buzzed with excitement. Albus thought he might be sick.

Professor McGonagall led them into the Great Hall, right up in front of the teachers' table. In front of them she placed a wooden stool and a tattered old hat.

As its mouth began to move, Albus barely noticed what it was saying. He was taking in all his surroundings: The ceiling that reflected the night sky (which was mostly cloudy), the other students already seated and grinning supportively at their siblings who were about to be sorted. The empty plates and platters, which, Albus knew, would soon fill up with delicious chicken legs, lamb chops, steak-and-kidney pie, mashed potatoes, and for dessert, his father's favorite: treacle tart.

The hat abruptly stopped speaking, and McGonagall began to call out names.

"Abbott, Letisha!"

The hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

McGonagall continued down the long list of names, nodding with sympathy to Warburton as he came up to the stool.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Albus cheered.

"Finnigan, Victoria!"

Scorpius clapped before she was even on the stool.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Malfoy, Scorpius!"

Scorpius marched to the stool and plopped down, apparently thinking that he was leaving the impression that he did this often.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Scorpius grinned as he made his way down to the Ravenclaw table. Okay, thought Albus. The Sorting Hat let Scorpius choose, so it will probably let me choose...

Finally....

"Potter, Albus!"

The entire hall went quiet. There might not have been any people there at all. Albus felt hundreds of pairs of eyes on him as he slowly dragged his feet along the floor toward the stool. It all felt surreal; he was quite surprised to find himself seated on the stool.

The Sorting Hat was placed on Albus's head. He was sweating now, he could feel droplets on his forehead. "Hmmmm," said the Sorting Hat thoughtfully. "Another Potter. Hmmm, you're just like your father...he would have done well in Slytherin, perhaps you would too? Of course, he preferred Gryffindor...but you, you're not picky, are you? Oh, I see you are....not Slytherin? Hmmm...I wonder why you have such dislike for Slytherin? Hmmm....you are very much aware that I allowed Scorpius Malfoy to choose the house he wished to be in....very curious....hmmm, I wonder....I think we'll go with...

"GRYFFINDOR!!"

The loudest cheer yet erupted from the Gryffindor table; a wave of relief rushed over Albus as he floated over to join his cousins and brother.

More names, more names...

"Smith, Zechariah!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Thomas, Meredith!

"GRYFFINDOR!"

More names, and then finally...

"Weasley, Fredericka!"

Fredericka was just as eager to be sorted as Albus had been nervous.

The hat shouted, "RAVENCLAW!" Fredericka nearly fell off the stool in excitement and ran to join the other students at the Ravenclaw table.

"Weasley, Xenobia!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Fredericka made a grunt of disappointment that her twin did not share her house. Xenobia laughed as she was practically pulled into the bench beside Rose.

Then, the last name.

"Zabini, Samuel!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

After Kingsley ended the night by singing the school song, the House prefects led the first years to the school common rooms. The castle was just as Albus had imagined it: moving staircases, hundreds of doors and secret passageways, and, as always, the Hogwarts ghosts. This time, however, a new member had been added.

"Carol Madrette. A pleasure to meet you," said the young ghost to the Gryffindors clambering toward the portait hole. "I was in Gryffindor as well."

A boy from the back of the group called out, "How did you die?"

"I was among the students who stayed behind to fight Lord Voldemort," she said quietly. "I was killed during the battle."

A hush fell over the group. The ghost sniffed, turned to the Fat Lady, and said, "Milano Melon."

The portait swung forward to reveal a large hole through which the students were beginning to climb. Albus smiled to himself as he imagined relaxing in one of the common room chairs until the early morning hours. _I can stay up as late as I want, _he thought.

"If you're smart, you won't," Warburton murmured in his ear.

Albus was stunned. This time he was positive he hadn't said anything out loud. Before he could do more than turn to look at Warburton, Carol the ghost snapped her silvery fingers at him. "You're holding up the line!" she cried.

The boys climbed through the portait hole and found yet another line; or rather, two lines: each one was assembled at a different set of stairs.

"Boys' dormitories to the left, girls' to the right," shouted a prefect.

The students raced up the stairs. When Albus and Warburton reached the top of the staircase, they noticed signs on the dormitory doors: 1st years, 2nd years, and so on.

Inside the first-year dormitory were four beds: each of them wrapped inside a curtain of red velvet. Albus sat down on the bed closest to the window, while Warburton took the bed next to Albus's.

"Alexander Waterbroth," said the boy nearest the door. "My whole family's been in Hufflepuff for centuries. Thought for sure I'd be there too. Mum told me all about the common room and how to get to the dormitories....Well, I guess I won't be needing them!"

"I'm Albus."

"Are you? Like Albus Dumbledore, right? Dad told me about him. Best headmaster Hogwarts ever saw, the way Dad tells it."

All three of them were quiet, staring at the empty bed near the western wall.

The bed remained vacant into the night, and was still empty in the morning. Around seven o'clock, when the students were getting out of bed, the door of the dormitory opened. A boy with brown hair that hung into his eyes shoved a trunk through the doorway and under the empty bed.

"Alexander Waterbroth," Alexander introduced himself, extending his hand to the new boy. The boy shook Alexander's hand, but didn't say a word. His eyes were jet black, and the glare on his face might have indicated a hard life.

Albus shook the boy's hand. "Albus Potter." The boy's grip on Albus's hand tightened significantly, but there was no change in his facial expressions. Finally letting go of Albus's hand, he told them his name.

"Vladimir Crabbe."


	2. Security Breach

Where had Albus heard that name before?

"Crabbe?" Alexander's eyes bulged out of his head.

"That's what I said," Vladimir repeated quietly.

"But-but-but-" Alexander opened and closed his mouth several times before he found his voice. "But-"

"What?" Albus asked, thoroughly alarmed.

"Who's your father?"

Vladimir frowned. "Vincent Crabbe."

"But it can't be!"

Suddenly Albus realized who this boy was. Vincent Crabbe? The best friend of Scorpius's father?

"Vincent Crabbe died nineteen years ago!" Alexander burst out.

"And yet here I stand," Vladimir returned darkly. He went over to his bed and began to glance over the day's schedule.

The boys got ready for the day and left the dormitory, meeting up with friends in the common room. Xenobia was talking to a tall girl in front of the portrait hole.

"...oh, really? Yes, my favorite subject is Care of Magical Creatures," the girl was saying. "It's very fascinating."

"Have you heard of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack?" Xenobia asked the girl. Before she could answer, Albus and the others had approached them.

"Oh, hello, Albus," Xenobia greeted him. "Who're your friends?"

Everyone was introduced. The new girl, a first year, was named Julia.

"I'm a Muggle-born," she told them. "My powers came out when I was at a picnic for my cousin's birthday. Some of the older boys thought it would be fun to push me off the dock. Well," she said rather sheepishly, "when I was finished with them, their noses were inside out."

Alexander and Albus laughed; Warburton and Vladimir merely nodded, as if this was a perfectly normal occurrence.

"Want to sit with us at breakfast?" Xenobia asked.

The boys agreed.

At the Gryffindor Table, Scorpius spotted Victoria on his way into the Great Hall and ran to sit by her.

Meredith was sitting on Victoria's other side as Scorpius hit the bench running. "Do you mind?"

Scorpius ignored her. "What's your first class?" he asked Victoria. "Mine's Herbology."

Victoria raised her eyebrows at him. "Aren't you supposed to be at the Ravenclaw table?"

"Uh...well, it's a bit cold over there." Scorpius's face turned red as everyone at the Gryffindor table laughed. Albus grinned at the others. Scorpius wasn't so bad as he had heard...

"Herbology first," Warburton told them all. "then Care of Magical Creatures."

"Oh, wonderful!" Julia cried out. "I do hope Professor Hagrid talks about unicorns today. They're my favorite of all the magical creatures."

Xenobia smiled. "I was thinking about asking him to teach us something on the Feedleyack Plimpie species. Mum says they've been breeding like mad this year..."

Fredericka had come over from the Ravenclaw table to say good morning to her twin. "I have Care of Magical Creatures first. Wasn't there something you wanted me to ask Professor Hagrid about?"

Xenobia thought for a moment. "Oh, yes. Ask him if it's true that Snaggle-toothed Hornswallows exist only in South America."

Albus leaned towards Warburton. "I wonder if they exist at all," he whispered. Warburton smiled, then returned to his porridge.

Scorpius, who had lost interest in talking to Victoria after she had poured maple syrup on his lap, made his way down the table and sat opposite Albus. "Hey Albus, I hear they're organizing the school Quidditch teams next weekend. Are you gonna try out?"

"First years aren't allowed," Albus pointed out.

"Oh, that's right. I guess you won't be following in your father's footsteps after all." He sniggered loudly.

"On the other hand," Vladimir suddenly spoke up, "It looks as if you are following exactly in your father's footsteps."

Scorpius smirked at Albus, and, leaning down so that he thought only Vladimir could hear, he said, "I have something for you to do. Your father would consider it an honor for you to help the son of his best school friend. Meet me outside your dormitory in fifteen minutes."

As quick as a lightning bolt, Vladimir swiped half the dishes off his end of the table. "I am nothing like my father. I will not be associated with my father, and I certainly will not help you with anything that has to do with my father." He left the Great Hall in a storm of fury.

Albus blinked. He wasn't sure what to think of what had just happened.

Scorpius slid back to the Ravenclaw table, where he grabbed a piece of toast before heading to his first class. Albus followed him without meaning to; it was as if his subconscious brain wanted to know what Scorpius was up to.

Nothing significant happened all day...or all week, for that matter. The weekend held a very exciting event: Quidditch tryouts. Even though Albus knew he was too young to play on the Gryffindor team, he wanted to watch the tryouts.

Margaret Johnson was the Captain of the Gryffindor team. "James, fly higher! You're never going to spot anything if you're hovering six feet from the ground!" she shouted at him.

Albus smiled to himself. He was alone in the stands, and he got to watch everyone else being yelled at.

Albus watched his brother carefully. As James looked around for the golden Snitch, his eyes kept traveling to a girl studying under a tree on the lawn. This was Clara Patil, the daughter of his mother's school friend Parvati.

The Snitch traveled right under James' nose. "Watch it, Potter!" screeched Margaret in exasperation. "If you want to make the team you need to have more focus than that!"

A few minutes later Clara went inside, but that didn't help James' concentration. Although he missed the Snitch at least a dozen times, he was better than the six other contestants who never saw the Snitch at all.

By the time tryouts were over, Albus felt that they might actually have a chance against the other house teams. They had three excellent Chasers: Denova MacMillan, Eleanor Rosinthian, and Emilia Patil, Clara's cousin. The Beaters were Courtlin Spinnet and Jackson Bell, and Margaret was the Keeper. James made it on the team as Seeker, a position that he had coveted the previous year.

Albus started to get up to walk off the pitch, internally celebrating his brother's success, when he spotted a figure standing just outside the school boundaries. He wore Muggle clothes and looked as if he were about 30 years old. What is a Muggle doing here? They're not even supposed to be able to see Hogwarts, Albus thought to himself.

The man began to approach the castle. This had to be a Muggle, because the man had a look of shock on his face, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Margaret," Albus called quietly. The team was approaching the changing rooms, but Margaret had stayed behind to collect the balls. "Is that a Muggle?"

Margaret looked up. Her eyes widened. "But Muggles aren't supposed to see the castle, or anything else around here," she said nervously.

"That's what I thought," Albus told her.

Another came running up behind the first man, just as shocked as he was.

Margaret gasped and began running towards the castle. Albus's mind reeled. Was there something wrong with the protective charms around the grounds? Was the Muggle world about to discover the secrets that witches and wizards had kept from them for so long?

Albus didn't move. Three more Muggles had appeared from the edge of the grounds, and Albus was alone in the stands.

The Muggles approached the Quidditch pitch, looking around incredulously. Albus noticed with a pang in his chest that one of the Hufflepuff Quidditch players was testing out her new broom over the castle's highest towers. The Muggles were sure to see her!

Suddenly Kingsley Shacklebolt and Margaret came running out of the castle's front doors. Kingsley shouted something as he waved his wand at the Muggles, and they turned around to go back the other way.

Albus tore through the stands to where Kingsley stood with Margaret. "What happened?"

"The security's been breached," Kingsley said quietly. "Something's wrong."

He began circling the grounds, muttering incantations in the air as he did so. Margaret returned to the castle, while Albus watched Kingsley work. He didn't remember ever hearing about a security breach at Hogwarts before.

Albus told Vladimir, Warburton, and Alexander what had happened that evening at the Gryffindor table. Vladimir was the only one who looked remotely concerned.

"I'm sure Kingsley took care of 'em," Alexander told them through a mouthful of steak-and-kidney pie.

"I think it's happened before. It's nothing to worry about," Waburton said confidently.

But Vladimir stared at his plate and said nothing.

Scorpius bounced onto the bench beside them. "Oh, are you guys talking about what happened in the Quidditch field today?" he asked suddenly.

"How did you know about that?" Albus asked roughly.

"No need to be defensive," Scorpius said in a boring drawl. "Everyone knows about that. Sara Limegg saw everything from her broom at the top of the Astronomy Tower. She's told the whole school!!"

Vladimir grunted, apparently unconsciously, for he jumped when Scorpius asked,

"Would you like to share something with the class, Vladimir?"

"It hasn't happened before," Vladimir said quietly. "I was warned by my mother that if strange things started happening, I need to warn someone. There's dark magic happening at Hogwarts."

"That's crazy!" Alexander wiped his mouth.

"Well why haven't you told anyone?"

Vladimir laughed darkly. "Because I'll just get made fun of. I know things that no one else does." He got up and left the Great Hall, leaving his half-finished food on the table.

"He's got issues," Alexander announced.

"He's seen things that none of us have ever imagined," Albus reminded them. "And I have the feeling that he does know things that he's not telling us."

**A/N: Please review or PM me, I love to hear feedback!! In Chapter 3, Albus has a dream about a young girl who blames him for something he doesn't remember doing. Secrets, blackmail, and mystery await in the following chapters of Albus Severus Potter!!**


	3. The Envelope

That night, Albus climbed into his bed in Gryffindor tower. He looked out the window, remembering the Muggles he had seen earlier. How could they have gotten into the grounds? And Vladimir said nothing had ever happened at Hogwarts like this before. Not even with Voldemort, the darkest wizard of all time. Could there really be a darker kind of magic than even Voldemort was capable of?

He was awoken from his thoughts by Alexander's snores from the next bed. Albus lay back down and stared at the scarlet curtains of his bed. Tomorrow he would find out why there were Muggles on Hogwarts grounds.

Albus was awakened the next morning by a blood-curdling scream from somewhere below him. He threw off his covers, pulled his clothes on, and hurried down the stairs, grabbing his book bag as he did.

No one was in the common room, which was unusual. Albus realized that the scream must have come from somewhere outside of Gryffindor tower...but where? He climbed through the portrait hole and made his way down the corridors, which were empty except for a few students walking down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Had they not heard the scream?

He turned a corner and found himself at the third floor corridor, the same place his father had had to run for his life from a three-headed dog. He pushed open the door and found a girl, about his age, sobbing on the floor.

He stopped, unprepared for this sudden surprise. No one else was with her. He set his bag down on the floor and bent down. "What's the matter?"

She looked up and screamed again when she saw him. "You! You did this to me!"

Confused, Albus looked around. "I did what to you?"

Suddenly the door to the third floor corridor was thrown open and several teachers rushed in: McGonagall, Flitwick, and Hagrid, followed by Kingsley Shacklebolt. Kingsley looked more disappointed than Albus had ever seen him.

"I didn't do anything!" he shouted, confused and amazed that they would suspect him of hurting this girl.

"Yes, you did!" McGonagall shouted, taking him by the shoulder and leading him out of the room. "You told Vincent Crabbe where to find this girl's parents! And thanks to you, they're dead! How could you?"

Albus woke up with a start. It had all been a nightmare, a bad dream. But it made sense, it wasn't like the weird dreams he had. And obviously Vincent Crabbe was still alive; Vladimir was proof of that.

He dressed and went down to breakfast. Alexander and Warburton were already there, in deep discussion with their mouths full of biscuits.

"Morning," Albus said quietly, still thinking about the dream. "Where's Vladimir?"

"He's been missing since early this morning," Alexander replied. "No one seems to know where he went."

Albus spit out his pumpkin juice all over his eggs. "What? Does the headmaster know?"

"He's been made aware of the situation," Warburton replied darkly. "And he's left the castle grounds to find him. He said something about having an idea of where Vladimir went."

"So, he's in some kind of danger?" Albus asked, knocking over his glass of pumpkin juice as he reached for the plate of biscuits.

"The headmaster seems to think so," Alexander said. He slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and left the hall. Warburton had stopped eating and stared blankly at his plate, as if he had alot on his mind as well.

"You okay?" Albus asked, taking another bite of toast.

Without looking up, Warburton said quietly, "Yeah."

It was Wednesday, which meant the week was nearly half over. Albus and Warburton returned to the common room to finish last-minute homework before their first class, but Albus found it very difficult to focus. He sat in one of the over-stuffed armchairs, trying to make sense of his dream. Vladimir had previously made it clear that he didn't want anything to do with his father, so he certainly would not pass information to his father...unless everything they had seen thus far was all an act? Had Vladimir been pretending all along?

_It was just a dream! _Albus thought to himself. _Vladimir seems nice enough, I shouldn't go making judgements about him yet._

At that moment, Vladimir came storming into the room, empty-handed and wearing torn robes. He raced up the stairs to the dormitories, obviously not in the mood to talk with anyone. Warburton stood up, but Albus stopped him. "Leave him alone for now. We don't know what's happened to him."

The headmaster climbed in through the portrait hole and ran over to where Albus and Warburton were studying. He took a deep breath and looked at the boys grimly.

Kingsley folded his arms across his chest and looked at Albus and Warburton for a moment. When he didn't speak, Albus cut in.

"Sir, what happened to Vladimir?"

"This business does not concern you boys," Kingsley answered calmly. "And I forbid you from asking Vladimir about his ordeal. You will learn the truth in due time." He reached into his cloak and pulled out an envelope. "When Vladimir calms down a bit, would you two be so kind as to deliver this letter to him?"

Before Albus could stop himself, he blurted out, "Who's it from?"

"Remember, Albus: You will know the truth in due time." And Kingsley left the common room, leaving Albus and Warburton standing alone in the middle of the room.

Albus broke the silence. "Should we open the letter?"

Warburton glanced at Albus, then back at the portrait hole. "Kingsley said it's none of our business," he answered, his voice shaking.

"But if we're going to help Vladimir, we need to know what's going on, right?"

"Kingsley just said to give it to Vladimir," Warburton tried again, attempting to sound confident in his argument.

"Warburton, how can we be there for Vladimir if we don't know what's wrong with him?"

"Kingsley said we'll know the truth in due time."

"I know, I was here."

There was silence for a moment, and Warburton made a movement to put the letter inside his robes for safekeeping.

Unable to stand it any longer, Albus grabbed the envelope from his friend. "I'm opening it. I need answers, Warburton."

Warburton nodded. And without waiting any longer, Albus tore open the envelope.


End file.
